November 26

MEDIA RELEASE

Late night shopping at New Zealand’s oldest store

To celebrate the festive season and a new shipment of wares, the Stone Store invites the public to two shopping evenings complete with refreshing punch and nibbles to enjoy.

“We’re approaching Christmas differently this year offering people two leisurely late night shopping nights from 5pm on December 5 and 12. The idea is for people to relax and enjoy shopping in one of the most wonderfully eclectic shops in the country,” says Stone Store Manager, Liz Bigwood.

True to its heritage of offering quality items straight from ships, the Stone Store has received a range of new items for the festive season and these two shopping nights will see a special 10% discount included on all purchases.

“We want to provide an enjoyable heritage shopping experience – complete with complimentary treats – to help take a bit of the hassle out of Christmas,” says Liz.

The Stone Store offers contemporary pieces and retro kiwiana in the trade room. Milk bottles sit alongside organic honey, bright cushions jostle for position with funky candlesticks, there are children’s games that don’t require a computer, cool cufflinks and amazing jewellery.

But a seriously different item arriving into the Stone Store is a non-firing replica of the old Brown Bess musket, a spectacular reproduction of the original guns traded between ship merchants and Maori. The Brown Bess was used during the Napoleonic wars and was traded throughout the Pacific and the Bay of Islands from the early years of the nineteenth century.

Did you know?

The Stone Store is New Zealand’s oldest stone building, where commerce has taken place in one form or another continuously since 1835 – even predating the arrival of money into the country.

During the early colonial days, other stores in the Bay landed goods and advertised them in the local paper – everything was listed from buttons, through to pre-fabricated four bedroom houses! Ships provided a steady stream of items such as casks of gin, men’s shirts, flour, wine, blankets, ivory handled cutlery sets, tents, and monkey jackets, just some of the items on a list that could take up an entire column in the newspaper.

The Stone Store never sold alcohol, until an illegal grog shop was discovered running in the 1890s. The leasee was evicted and a more sober proprietor installed in his place.

ENDS

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